Jack and Lea (NOT A SHIP!)
by abutalla152
Summary: What if Jack cared about one individual child at a time instead of all of them at once? Well, little Lea is about to meet our favorite immortal child! This is my first fan-fic, so jut keep that in mind please? R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

**Jack was skating around on his lake in the early hours of the morning. Being immortal meant he almost never had to sleep or eat. So he spent most nights out on his lake. Well, the nights that he wasn't pranking someone or making a snow day for the kids of the world. Just as he was about to go for another lap, he noticed a young girl sitting on the beach. She couldn't have been much older than ten or eleven. He smiled and walked towards her, wanting to hang out after being alone all night. As he drew closer he realized she was crying. He hated when kids cried, because they were too innocent to be experiencing emotional pain. Also because crying was no fun! He bent down, concerned and wanting to comfort her. He quickly discovered that she couldn't see him as his hand passed through her. He sighed, used to this. For 300 years that had been his life, never seen, heard, or believed in. Still, he wanted to figure out why she was up so early and why she was upset. So he stayed next to her. He was hoping that just by being there his fun energy could get her to cheer up, or at least that she would start talking aloud and he could understand what was troubling her.**

**The young girl wiped her eyes, and tried to calm herself down. She hated crying, but she hated it more if people caught her crying. Even though it was early she knew someone could walk out of the woods any moment. She stared out across the lake, her eyes puffy, but her mind numb. She had allowed her mind to become empty so she could rid herself of the pain. No thinking, no pain. She wasn't even wearing a coat, she was just out in the winter cold in her pajamas. When she had run out of her house she hadn't even noticed the cold. She sighed, then wrapped her arms around herself as the air suddenly got even colder. She looked around, trying to figure out where the sudden cold draft had come from. She stared at the ice, wondering how thin it was. She knew if it was thin enough maybe she could just drop right through it. She didn't realize that Jack was working on thickening it at that exact moment. But what she did know was the ice was suddenly beginning to look thicker and thicker. She also knew that she had to get a grip before the sun came up, or she'd really be in trouble. Lea sighed and put her chin on her knees. She looked around, making sure no one was around, then picked up a handful of snow and held it against her arm.**

**Jack saw the girl look longingly at the ice, and realized that if she went out, she would meet the same fate he did. it had become thinner since he was no longer skating on it. So he set about thickening it, just to be safe. He didn't want anything bad to happen to the young girl! He stopped though when he saw her roll up her sleeve and press some snow to her arm. 'She must be crazy!' he thought to himself. "It's freezing cold out here, and she is pressing snow against her arm?" he asked, thinking aloud. He moved closer, then gasped as he saw the cuts and bruises that were crisscrossing the young girls' arm. He wondered what had happened to such a young child that had produced injuries like those. He knelt by her and created more snow and ice she could use to heal herself. He couldn't exactly help, but he could give her something to help her help herself. He then stayed near her until the sun rose into the morning sky. Just a steady presence and cool breeze to play with her hair. Suddenly the peace was shattered by an angry voice yelling "LEA ANDERSON!" The girl jumped and sighed, getting to her feet. "Here goes another pointless day" Jack heard her say before she walked out of sight. "What does that mean?" he wondered, so he followed her.**


	2. Chapter 2

Lea heard her father call for her. She heard but didn't immediately respond. She really didn't want to go home, but knew that she had to, otherwise her father would come find her, even more furious. And angering her father first thing in the morning was the last thing she wanted. So she stood and walked away from the lake, mumbling under her breath just to make herself feel a little better. When her house came into view, she stopped and considered running for it. Just running away would create problems for her, but it would at least get her away from this one. She knew she couldn't run though. She had no where to go anyhow. She had no family nearby, and no friends to take her in. She sighed again and went up to the door and walked inside, making as little noise as she could. Unfortunately she wasn't quiet enough. Her father heard her come home and came storming down the hall. She stiffened, waiting for the yelling and pain she knew was coming. With good reason too. Just as she braced herself he yelled "INSECT, WHERE have you been? You piece of crap, you don't deserve to leave this house, especially not without my permission" Lea shrank away a little, but not as much as she normally would. She knew this was only the beginning of her father's' rage and he was actually going easy on her at the moment.

Jack followed Lea home, just to satisfy his own curiosity. What he discovered made his blood boil. Finding something that boiled his blood was extremely rare since his blood was almost frozen in his state of constant cold. But the way this man was treating the girl, Lea, was unbelievable! No child deserved this, no matter what the situation. Jack looked to make sure no one was watching, then he froze the mans' feet to the ground and used the wind to encourage Lea to escape to her room, the man yelling and cursing the whole time, trying to grab Lea. Jack quickly ushered the girl upstairs to the safety of her room. Jack placed himself in front of Lea's door so he could protect her in case the man came up. Jack knew that the man would escape his ice, he hadn't made it very strong after all. He had only made it strong enough to stall the man. Jack had figured by now that the man was her father. Jack had seen enough throughout the years to know what was going on in this house. He had been lucky as a human to have never been through this, but he had been around long enough and seen enough around the world, that it doesn't take much to put together the scars and the yelling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lea couldn't believe it! Just as her father was about to hit her, he had frozen! Literally frozen! Ice had formed on him, and she felt herself being encouraged away from him. She didn't even hesitate as she made her choice. She turned and ran upstairs, much to her fathers absolute fury. She ran into her room, shut the door, and locked it. She wasn't supposed to ever lock her door, but at the moment she was going to see how far her good luck would follow her. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was 6:50 AM. She had to get ready for her first day of school! She got dressed, wearing a white tee, her blue jacket, and brown jeans. Without realizing it, she dressed to look like a mini-Jack. Except she had long brown hair, not gleaming white hair and her eyes were greens, not blue like the winter teen. She moved around her room, putting all her stuff in her book-bag that she had gotten out the previous night to work on in an attempt to not be too far behind. Then went to the door to listen for any sign of her father in the hall. She always did this when leaving her room, just as a precaution that often served her well. She didn't hear her father, so she opened the door just a crack. She opened it to hear better because breathing could be heard instead of footfalls. She looked and listened again, then bolted downstairs. Though she was hungry, she didn't dare stop in the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Even wasting a few seconds could cause her trouble. Trouble she just didn't want at the moment. She ran straight out the door, off her porch, and to the corner where her bus-stop was. She checked her watch. It was 7:15 AM, the bus would be there any minute. She was lucky the bus stop was so close, or she may be late. Lea was in a fairly good mood, having been not hit or scolded as much as usual this morning. She smiled and talked with another student till the bus came. Of course she didn't know the student, but she seemed nice enough. She looked around, making sure everything was real and that she wasn't dreaming about such a perfect day. Once she determined that her morning really was going so well, she boarded the bus. As she boarded she noticed the frost on the windows. 'The frost is kind of pretty when it forms patterns like that' she thought to herself as she took her seat. Though that was her thought, she still started drawing designs and words in the frost. After all, what kid doesn't? She giggled to herself as she drew a smiley face.**


	4. Chapter 4

Jack smiled to himself as he followed Lea out of the house. He hadn't left her side since she had left her room. She looked a little happier than she had at the lake, and she was safe, for now, from that monster that was her father. He followed her to the bus stop, just to make sure she was truly OK. He watched her chat with the other kids and was glad she was happy and safe with kids her age. As her bus pulled up he used his powers to frost the window, hoping to make her smile even more with some pretty frost. Well, he had always thought his frost was pretty, even though it irritated the adults when he frosted their windows of their cars. From the smile on her face though, he figured it worked. He chuckled a little as she began drawing. He didn't mind when children ruined his frost because they had fun drawing in it. Once he was sure she was safely on her way to school, he flew off, heading towards the North Pole. He wanted to see if his leader, fellow guardian, and friend, North had any ideas how to help the poor girl cope with her rough home life.

Unlike most kids her age, or really any age, Lea liked school a lot. Not because of the subjects, though she did love art, but because it meant she was able to escape her house and her father. Even though it was only for a few hours, it was still the only thing that kept her sane throughout the last several years. It was the only time when she felt semi-safe and relatively happy. For eight hours she was almost able to forget how miserable she was. She was almost able to forget how awful life was for her. Almost. Of course she had to be careful not to show her injuries, but she had figured out a long time ago how to avoid any teachers noticing anything strange. As the bus arrived at school fifteen minutes early, she went to the library to read until the bell rang. When she got there, Anna, the girl from the bus stop, walked up to her. Lea looked up and said "Hello." Anna smiled and sat next to her. "Hi Lea. I was wondering... Have you ever heard of Jack Frost?" she asked, the question sudden but full of honest curiosity. Lea thought for a moment, thinking through names and stories she had heard/read in the past, then shook her head. "No I haven't heard of him" she admitted. Anna pulled out a book and placed it out in front of them. "Since you love the snow and frost so much, I thought you would like this..." she said, opening it and the two girls began to read about the King of Winter and Immortal Child, Jack Frost.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hundreds of miles away, at the North Pole, Jack had just arrived and was muttering under his breath. North had promised to always keep a window open for him, but that was a promise that hadn't been kept. In his distraction he hadn't see the window until he had run right into it. "Said he'd leave it open, but what is it? Closed." he muttered. He flew in through the roof, rubbing his head. He looked around for the jolly guardian of Wonder. Once he had spotted the man and they had exchanged pleasantries, he had begun talking to North about ways to possibly help Lea a little bit when she was at home. North listened to Jack with a thoughtful expression as he took in the details and analyzed several ideas in moments. "You were right to help her Jack, but you won't always be around to protect her" North said, pointing out what Jack was thinking. "I know North, but I just couldn't just stand there and let him hit her!" Jack exclaimed, thinking about the scene and shuddering in disgust and anger. North nodded again and placed a big hand on the teen's skinny shoulder. "And I don't expect you to. We will see if maybe a friend of hers is willing to help her, or we could post one of our guards near her home to help her" North suggested, now thinking more out loud than talking to Jack. Jack just sat and listened and tried to think too. Jack looked around and said "Maybe we can help her escape her situation and move her to a new home?" He asked. If he could get her out of her home and into a new one, she would be safe and cared for. North nodded and agreed that it was a good idea.**

**Lea was now in her first hour class. They had a test today. Since she was new, the teacher had offered to excuse her from the test. But she shook her head and insisted on at least trying. She was the first one done, so now had time to just sit and think or do whatever she wanted to. She thought about what Anna had told her about that morning about the boy, Jack Frost. It was an interesting idea to think that there was a white-haired winter spirit teen who spent time with kids. 'But,' she thought, 'if he is real, then surely he doesn't know me.' If there really was a guardian of childhood, then how could she be allowed to suffer so horribly? 'But... what if...?' she thought, remembering the odds events of earlier that morning. The cold wind by the lake, the snow appearing for her arm, the ice on her father, the wind ushering her to her room, then finally the frost on the bus windows. 'Maybe he IS real, I just never noticed before?' she wonders, looking out the window.**

**Jack was now on his way back to his home town of Burgess. As he flew he felt something stir within him. He stopped for a moment, but it was gone. 'That's strange, I've never felt that before' he mused. He shrugged and kept flying since the feeling was gone. He was going to visit his first and favorite believer, Jaime Bennett. When he reached the younger boys' house though, he wasn't there. But his little sister, Sophie, was. "Hey Soph." Jack smiled to the young girl. She giggled up at him. "Hi Jack-Jack" she greeted. Since she was young, she had taken to calling him Jack-Jack. He didn't mind at all though. It was actually kind of adorable how the little blonde couldn't just say his name. He hugged her and complimented her little fairy wings she always wore, then asked her "Where's big brother Jaime?" She blushed at his compliment and responded "He started school today." Jack was surprised, but in a good way. Jaime had always been home-schooled, so he was always there when Jack came by. But it was good the brown-haired boy was going to school and interacting with other kids his own age. "Ok, well can you tell him I stopped by kiddo?" Jack asked the little green-eyed blonde. She nodded enthusiastically and hugged him again tightly. He chuckled and carefully pulled free of her grip. "See you later my little snowflake" he called to her. She waved her hand and yelled "Bye-Bye Jack-Jack"**

**Her first class was almost over now, so Lea had collected her things and gotten ready to go find her second class. Just before the bell rang however, her teacher called her over to her desk. Lea, curious and a little worried, went over to the teacher. She suddenly noticed a boy she hadn't noticed before standing beside the teacher's desk. Her teacher said "Lea, this is Jaime Bennett. He is new to the school as well and needs someone to be his friend." Lea looked at the boy, taking in his appearance and trying to determine what kind of boy he was. He was her own age, and looked nice enough. He looked shyly up at her and said "Hi." She smiled at him and agreed "Sure, what class do you have next?" The teacher smiled and left the room. Jaime looked at his schedule to check "I have art" he determined after looking. Lea smiled a little "I have that too, follow me" she told him. He nodded and they walked out of the room. They walked in comfortable silence to the art room. Neither child felt the need to say anything, and the silence was more peaceful than awkward. Art was Lea's FAVORITE subject at any school. It was one of the very few things she felt she was actually kind of, a little bit good at. When they walked in Lea saw that there was a sub. 'Sub on the first day, nice.' she sighs to herself. So she showed Jaime to an empty table for today. Since there was a sub someone told her that it was just a free-draw day. Lea nodded and thanked her peer, then walked back to the table. She told Jaime, then got out a piece of paper and started drawing the frost she had seen on the windows. Jaime sat beside her and started drawing the guardians.**

(HEY GUYS! GOING TO CAMP THIS WEEK! So excited, but it also means I won't be able to update till I get back. So here's a bit of a longer chapter for ya. Have a great week!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Jack sighed as he flew around, completely and utterly bored. He didn't know what to do until school was over and he couldn't see Jaime, so he flew back to Lea's house to see if there was anything he could do to make it easier for her to come home. When he got there, her father was home. But Jack wasn't worried. Her father couldn't see him, no adult could. Adults never believed in the guardians, much less could see or harm them. So he just walked in, past the man, and up to the girls' room. Her room was freaking freezing! "Oh my moon! This room is freezing, at least for mortals, how does she survive in here?" he asks himself. Of course he can't be affected by cold, but he knew that the room was far, far too cold. There seemed to be absolutely no power in the little room. She was probably freezing at night! He looked at the bed and saw only a single blanket and no sheets. Though Jack couldn't make heat, he could control and absorb the cold. "Hey, in the absence of cold is warmth. I know just what this room needs." he decides. He created a small snowflake and placed it in the rafter of her room. It was a special snowflake that used the cold of the air to keep going. It absorbed the cold and used that to stay shining, pretty, and so it didn't melt. Already it was absorbing the cold from the surrounding area and the room was getting a bit warmer. Jack smiled to himself and started humming a wordless tune. He looked around and saw no toys. "North would hate this place." he noted. Deciding that every child needs toys he flies over to her dresser. He landed then created a few ice sculptures for the girl. With a little of his winter magic they could move around and play, but he left them inanimate for now. He also made it so they would never melt. They were something the girl could always have to play with. He also made it so they would never break in case her father found them and tried to get rid of them. Jack smiled at his handiwork, took one more look around, and left he left the room. He couldn't wait to see her reaction!**

**Jaime looked over at Lea as they sat in art and drew their pictures. He smiled to himself, thinking how nice she was being to him. Up until this year, fifth grade, he had been home-schooled with his friends. But his mom decided it was time to try public school for a change and so he could make more friends. 'And to try to get me to stop talking to Jack.' he sighs mentally. He had to admit, he had been just a little nervous about real school, but so far it had been easy enough. In his previous class he had been excused from the test since it was his first day. Then he had been introduced to the girl now sitting beside him. He noticed that the teacher said it was Lea's first day too. 'So why did she take the test?' he wondered to himself. He looked at her drawing and looked in awe. It was REALLY good! It looked like she was drawing... Frost? He looked again. It looked like she was drawing designs made of frost. He smiled a bit. Jack must be around, and had frosted a window. Jaime figures Lea had seen the frost and that was why she was drawing it now. Lea sensed him looking and looked up. "Yes?" she asked. He blushed and said "Nothing, you're just a really good artist." he quickly turned and looked back at his own drawing. He wasn't as good as her, but he was still pretty decent at art. He had just finished sketching Jack and was starting to draw Tooth.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Lea blushed at his compliment, then looked over at Jaime's drawing. She was surprised to see that he was drawing a boy with white hair and blue eyes that she recognized as Jack Frost! She hadn't heard of the mischievous winter teen until just that morning, but apparently her new friend had. She hesitated for a moment, then asked him about it. "How do you know about Jack Frost?" she asked, curiosity eating away at her. She had learned from the school library, so she wanted to know where he had heard of Jack He laughed a bit "I don't just know of him, I actually know him personally." he explains. This confused Lea, so she asked "What do you mean you know him personally?" Jaime laughed again and said "Let me explain." They spent the rest of the class period talking about Jack and the other guardians, their abilities, what they do, what they are like, and how Lea had maybe seen Jack without even realizing it.**

**By the time the bell rang both kids were smiling, laughing, had finished their drawings, and realized they had all their classes together. They happily packed up their things and headed off towards lunch, then history. Today they were studying local myths and legends. One of them was the king of mischief and Winter himself. Lea was seriously surprised now that she hadn't heard of the boy before, as popular as he seemed to be. She sat next to Jaime, after introducing themselves to the teacher. When they started class, she lent Jaime a pencil since he had forgotten his in art. He smiled gratefully and started taking notes. About halfway through class, Lea noticed that Jaime looked confused. She looked at him questioningly and he held up a finger, telling her to wait. He raised his hand and waited to be called on. The teacher looked at him and said "Yes Jaime?" Jaime lowered his hand and said "Sir, the Easter Bunny doesn't just pick up eggs from a factory and deliver them. He actually grows them from flowers, paints them, and uses tunnels to get them where they need to go." The teacher looked stunned for a minute, then chuckled under his breath. "Not according to legend. And we are studying legends, not ideas. But that was an interesting theory." Lea looked at Jaime sympathetically, then she looked around and noticed the other kids laughing quietly at him. She glared at them, feeling protective of her friend, and they stopped laughing at once. Jaime looked down at his desk, humiliated from the teacher dismissing him so easily. Lea placed a hand on his arm and said "I believe you." He smiled a little at her and started sketching on the margins of his notes. She realized he was drawing the actual Easter Bunny, boomerangs and all.**


	8. Chapter 8

**About an hour later Jack was bored again. He had flown around, pulled some innocent pranks, and even skated on his lake. But without kids life just isn't fun. So he decided to give the children of the city an early out. He created a mild snowstorm and delivered it to Burgess. He flew around, chilling the air and delivering snow, bouncing off walls and tripping adults. He was having a blast doing what he was meant to do. A few minutes later he heard school bells start to ring and saw kids pouring out of the schools. A few of them tried to start snowball fights, but their friends wouldn't join in on the fun. 'That just won't do!' Jack thought to himself in dismay as he saw that the kids weren't playing in his beautiful winter. He flew down to the ground, created a few snowballs, infused them with fun magic, then threw them at kids. He began laughing as they got into the spirit of things and started snowball wars. He flew up and to the school where Jaime was. When he got there he was surprised to see him laughing with Lea. He smiled and flew down to listen to their conversation without Jaime noticing him. It sounded like Lea was disappointed it was an early out! 'Seriously? A kid that DOESN'T like my snow day? What the heck is wrong with this girl?' he asks himself incredulously. 'Well, we'll just have to see if I can't change her mind.' he smirked.**

**Indeed, Lea was disappointed it was an early out because it meant she had to go home that much sooner. Jaime noticed her disappointment. "What's wrong?" he asked her, not knowing about her home life. She shrugged and smiled, saying "Nothing, just don't feel like going home yet." She smiled, trying to hide the truth. Jaime thought for a moment, then told her "So don't go home yet. Let's go to my house, or we could have a snowball fight?" he asked, laughing as a snowball suddenly hit him in the back of the neck. Lea stopped a moment, stunned. No one had ever invited her to have fun before. Indeed, she hadn't really had a friend to have fun with before she met Jaime. Before she could accept his answer however, a snowball suddenly hit her in the back as well. She giggled and agreed "A snowball fight sounds like a lot of fun." Jaime laughed and reached down to make a snowball of his own. Lea did the same, bending down and picking up the snow. Soon the two were laughing and just having a good time, locked in a one on one snowball war.**

(SO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE THIS WEEK! I WAS AT SUMMER CAMP, BUT HERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! R&R PLEASE!)


	9. Chapter 9, THEY MEET!

**Jack laughed as he watched the two kids have their snow fight. Naturally he had thrown the snowballs at them to start with, and he was glad they had gotten the message. 'have fun with the snow!' he thought lightly to them, even though they couldn't hear him. He then frowned a little at her remark that she didn't want to go home. He understood why she didn't want to go, that's why he started the fight. That and the fact that Jaime had asked her to have one with him. He just hung around for a while, giving ammo, keeping the storm under control, and taking kids sledding. Eventually, after much work, he decided to go say hi to Jaime and maybe to Lea. He flew over to them. They were both on the ground, covered in snow, and laughing uncontrollably. "Having fun?" He asked laughing down at them. Jaime looked up and exclaimed "Jack!" The young boy ran over and nearly tackled him with a hug. Jack chuckled and hugged back. "Good to see you too kiddo" he smirked. Jack looked over at Lea and she was staring at him with wide eyes. Jack carefully untangled himself from Jaime then walked over to her and offered a hand to help her up. She blushed and took it, getting up. "A-are you Jack Frost?" she asked. He nodded and made a little bow. "At your service." Jaime laughed and walked up to them.**

**Jaime was glad to see that Lea now believed in Jack. He walked up to them and said "Lea, this is Jack. Jack, this is Lea. She is my new friend." He saw Jack smile and bow a little dramatically. Jaime laughed, he couldn't help it, Jack was such a clown sometimes. Jaime looked at Lea out of the corner of his eye. He could tell they had the same idea. They both jumped on Jack while he was bowing, and knocked him down into the snow. Jack laughed and pretended to fight to get up, making all three of them laugh more. Jaime, Lea and Jack played for the next few hours, just killing time and getting to know each other. Eventually it started getting dark, almost night time. Jaime looked up and said "We should be getting home" He waved good-bye to Lea and Jack, then left for home, leaving her and Jack alone.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Lea groaned to herself once Jaime had left. She really didn't want to go home, but knew she would have to eventually. Her father would be beyond furious already since she was late coming back. So she muttered "goodbye" to Jack and headed towards her house. When she got there, she could see her father waiting for her on the porch. She hesitated, knowing that it would be a long night. She took a resigned breath then walked up onto the porch so she was standing with him. "You're late." He commented. She nodded and said "I was out with a couple of friends." She was on the ground before she realized her father had lifted a hand. The middle of her chest was on fire from the pain. It took her a moment, but she finally realized that her father had punched her square in the chest. "LIAR" he screamed at her. "Who in their right minds would want to be friends with a worthless, good-for-nothing nothing like you?" he growled. "Now tell me where you have really been!" he ordered, aiming a kick at her. But as his foot left the ground, he slipped. Lea looked up as a patch of ice appeared under his feet. She looked over and saw Jack through the porch window. He looked at her and pointed at the door urgently. The message was clear 'get inside'. She nodded and painfully stood up, making her way inside quickly before her father was able to get up and stop her.**

**Jack had followed Lea home, to make sure she got there safely, and to make sure she was safe once she was there. Just as he arrived he saw her father yell at her and hit her. Jack felt his anger rising within him. Beating a child at all was horrible, but trying to kick her when she was down? That was completely barbaric! His temper flared and he felt himself slipping into a mode where his only desire was payback. So he made a patch of ice appear under that man's feet, making him fall heavily. He motioned for Lea to get inside. Then he made frost on the door to give her a few seconds head start as her father struggled with the door. He felt like harming the man, but it was forbidden for spirits to intentionally harm a mortal, so Jack left the man outside and ran inside to check on Lea. He stopped outside her room and took a moment to calm himself down so he didn't frighten her. Heck, he even scared himself when he got angry, especially when it meant his hidden powers can come to play if he ever lost control. Hearing Leas' father coming, he sighed and ran down the hall and flew out an open window.**


	11. Chapter 11

**After escaping the porch, Lea raced up to her room, hearing her father chase close behind her. She closed the door as soon as she got in and locked it again. She jumped back as her father began banging on it, threatening to knock it down. Suddenly ice formed on the lock and bolts, making sure her father couldn't come in. She turned and saw Jack at her window. She smiled a little, though only a little, since she was still frightened. She crossed the room, over to the window, and opened it all the way open for him. "Jack?" she asked as he climbed in. He nodded and smiled "It's me little snowflake." he assured her. She closed the window once he was completely in her room. "What are you doing here?" she questioned. **

**He placed a hand on her shoulder and kindly said "I'm here to protect you from him." She nodded and smiled more, glad he was there. She steps forward and hugged him. "Thank you for coming with me." she whispered. Jack looked down at the girl and nodded. "Of course I came kiddo." He then frowned a little and pulled back, looking at the door as he heard her father outside. **

**Suddenly Lea noticed something different about her room. But what was it...? "Hey! My room is warm!" she exclaimed, surprised. She hadn't had heat or power in her room for a week. Her father told her that the bills were too much and he had to cut the power use. So he had killed the power of her room, saying that a room that had nothing inside didn't need power. She looked at Jack, wondering if he had something to do with it. He smiled and shrugged innocently, pretending to know nothing. He then pointed at her dresser. "Pretty" he noted, drawing her attention to the little figurines he had crafted and placed there. She walked over them, staring at them in wonder, admiration, and curiosity. Jack waved his hand and infused a little magic in them.**

**Lea jumped as they began moving around her dresser surface. They started dancing, chasing, and playing with their fellow sculptures. One was a wolf, one was a humming bird, there was a bunny, an elephant, and also a lion. Jack smiled to himself as he watched the bunny and white wolf start playing together. She giggled as they danced around her. She watched as he smiled and laughed, enjoying providing the magic that caused them to move. She realized that his happiness came mostly came from her own joy. As long as she was enjoying herself and having fun, he would never complain. He sat down on her bed and began explaining to her how each sculpture represented one of the five guardians.**


	12. Chapter 11 and a half

**Jack picked up the elephant first. "This is supposed to represent North. But you probably know him better as Santa. I chose this one because it is strong, powerful, caring of its young, and can do some things the other animals can't. It can knock over whole trees, with its head! It is powerful with the two tusks it has to defend itself with. The elephant and North both send out warnings to the others when there is danger, the others look up to the elephant as we look up to North. As for caring for their young, well... North has taken me under his wing and become kind of like a father to me. And, now don't tell him I said this, but he could stand to eat a few less cookie." he laughed, placing the elephant back down on the dresser. Lea giggled at that last part and promised not to say anything to North about it.**

**Jack smirked and picked up the little lion next. It roared silently in his hands and lay down in his palm. "Now, I chose the lion to represent Sandy, the Sandman. It is strong, courageous bordering on dauntless, and loyal. Both physically and mentally, their strength comes from within. And neither of them are afraid of anything except losing one of their own. But that means they will do anything to protect their friends and families. They do whatever they have to do to win and protect. And just like the male lion is loyal and protective of his pride, Sandy is a great friend, and would never let anything bad happen to me or any of the others. He's the only one who ever bothered being kind to me before I was a guardian." he explained, ending with a small smile. **

**He placed the lion carefully back on the wooden surface and carefully caught the little hummingbird. "Now, there are some obvious reasons, and some not-so-obvious reasons I chose the humming bird." he begins. "The obvious reason is she looks like a giant hummingbird. Serious, Tooth, the Tooth Fairy, looks like a giant bird person. But another reason is the hummingbird is swift yet graceful. Tooth can fly fast, and she can talk fast. Wow she can go fast!" he chuckled. "But she is also graceful. So graceful when she wants to be." he finished as he smiled to himself. "And before you ask, no, I don't like her like that. She is more like a sister to me." he smirked.**

**He released the hummingbird and it flew out of his hands and up onto Leas' shoulder. The girl giggled as the cold wings brushed her cheeks. Jack smiled and picked up the bunny. "Now, this one is pretty obvious. This one represents the Easter Bunny, or just Bunny because, well... He's a bunny. But he's also pretty cool and fun to play with as long as you don't anger him." he smirked. Lea giggled and nodded. "And do you? Anger him I mean." she asked. Jack shrugged and smirked mischievously. "All the time, it's kind of my favorite thing to do if I get bored." he admitted. Lea laughed and shook her head at the older boy. "And the wolf? Who does it represent and how?" she asked, pointing to the last little ice sculpture.**

**Jack released the bunny and carefully picked up the wolf, blushing slightly, his cheeks tinted blue. "The wolf represents... Me. I'm the fifth and newest Guardian of Childhood." he told her. She tilted her head to the side curiously. "I'll tell you that story another time ok?" he sighed. She nodded and sat quietly, waiting for an explanation of how the wolf represented Jack. "Well, the wolf is strong, fast, not a fan of rabbits, and can be alone but prefers to be with a pack. I'm not physically that strong I admit, but I can be mentally strong. With wind on my side I can be almost faster than Bunny, if we ever race again. And while I'm still friends with him, I'm definitely not Bunny's biggest fan. And I've been alone for 300 years, but I prefer to be with other people, Now that I can be seen..." He shrugged as he let go of the wolf. He smiled at Lea and said "Now go back to playing." he suggests as the little animals run over her legs. She smiled and nodded, playing happily with the ice creatures.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Jaime looked out his window, wondering where Jack was. When he had seen the older boy at school, he had assumed that Jack was here to see him. He figured Jack would follow him home and they would hang out. But he hadn't seen Jack since he had left him with Lea. Jaime wasn't worried though, he had just figured that after school he and Jack would catch up with each other. They hadn't seen each other in a few months, and he hadn't even seen Jack when he brought winter to Burgess. Jaime sighed and leaned his head against the window. "Jack" he whispered. "Where are you?"**

**Jack was still at Lea's house having fun. She was laughing and having fun with the ice animals Jack had made for her and brought to life. She had decided that this had been the absolute best day of her life. She had been spared her father's wrath multiple times, she had made a friend at school, and she had met Jack, who seemed determined to protect her. Add to that the ice gifts and heat in her room, she was happy for the first time she could remember. All at once the ice animals landed on her dresser and became inanimate again. She looked up at Jack confused. He only smiled kindly and nodded to the window. "It's getting late. You should get some rest for tomorrow kiddo." She pouted but climbed into bed anyways. Before closing her eyes she said "Will I see you again Jack?" He nodded and said "I'll be back in the morning. And as long as you believe in me, you will always be able to see me." Then he headed for the window. She stopped him and asked "What do you mean?" He smirked, halfway out of the window. "Ask Jaime tomorrow" he said. With that she watched him disappear in a gust of wind. She smiled and closed her eyes.**

**Jack realized he hadn't gone to see Jaime that afternoon. He flew to Jaime's house, hoping the younger boy wouldn't be upset with him. He knew Jaime had been longing to hang out for a while. In all honesty he had been too. It had been too long. Not even when he delivered the winter could he stop and visit because his job wasn't done that night. He arrived at Jaime's room just as the brown-eyed boy was going to bed. He flew into the room and Jaime looked up, smiling. "Jack!" he exclaimed for the second time that day. Jack smiled and went to sit on the younger boy's bed. "Sorry I wasn't here sooner kiddo." He apologized as he sat on the side. Jaime nodded "Where were you?" he asked. Jack shrugged and explained "I was getting to know your friend Lea." Jaime smiled. "She's nice huh?" he asked Jack. Jack nodded thinking about the young girl. "Do you think your mom would let her live here?" He asked suddenly. Jaime looked at him in surprise. "I don't know. Why?" Jack shrugged and chuckled "Just wondering. Ask her for me?" Jaime nodded. Jack smiled and ruffled the kids' hair. "Goodnight kiddo, get some rest." He hugged Jaime then flew out of the room, disappearing into the late night sky.**


End file.
